Tees

Image source, Coventry City FC

You might not hear the old terrace refrain of 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' as often as you used to, but it still has a better ring than 'the shirt's not fit for you to wear'.

Championship leaders Coventry City launched a new collection on Friday, proudly taking inspiration from a kit widely dubbed the 'Worst of All Time'.

A take on the club's infamous brown change strip worn away from Highfield Road from 1978 to 1981, the modern reinvention features what the club calls "a deeper chocolate plum colour with sky blue elements".

Many would suggest it sounds tastier than it looks.

But it's got us thinking... what are actually the worst EFL kits of all time? Let us know which of your club's shirts is hiding in the back of the wardrobe, or even if they were too ugly for you to even part money for them.

We'll collate a list of the biggest eyesores and will give you the chance to vote on the ghastliest of all next week.

Click here to let us know your suggestion, and you can even attach a picture if you really want to convey the horror.

Kim Hellberg said Middlesbrough are working hard to find their scoring touch but he retains "all the confidence in the world" that it will return.

Boro have slipped five points behind Championship leaders Coventry City following defeat at the Sky Blues and frustrating back-to-back home draws against Oxford United and Leicester City.

Hellberg's side dominated the latter two games and registered a total of 41 shots in them, but only 11 were on target with one goal to show for them, against the Foxes on Tuesday night.

"We are trying to react to it and work from it - we keep moving forward," he told BBC Radio Tees.

"I think we have scored the third most goals in the league since I arrived. We will continue to work on scoring more goals and finding solutions.

"We had four games in a row [from 20 December to 1 January] when we didn't score for seven hours and we tried to work from it to become better, and we did, [scoring 13 over the next four matches].

"Now we're doing the same thing, we don't score enough. And we're still creating a lot of opportunities, but we haven't been efficient enough in those situations."

Hellberg refuted the suggestion his players were lacking energy against Leicester.

"There are a lot of players who have played almost every minute," he said. "We have a thin squad, a lot of players coming back from injury.

"I don't think the energy has been a problem but you can always have more energy. [The problem is] we haven't been quite good enough in situations where we could and should score goals."

Despite the 'blip,' going into the weekend fixtures, with Hellberg's side headed to Birmingham on Monday (20:00 GMT), Boro remain four points clear of third-placed Millwall, though Ipswich Town, six points back in fourth, do have two games in hand.

"I have all the confidence in the world," he said. "We have one loss in nine games, we draw two games [but] when you look at them we created a lot of opportunities.

"We have to keep working, keep finding ways to score and improve. That's what we're trying to do."

Birmingham saw their eight-game unbeaten league run come to an end at Millwall on Wednesday to leave them five points short of the play-off places before the weekend games.

Blues have still only tasted defeat at St Andrew's once so far this season but only Coventry City (29) have taken more points on the road than second-placed Middlesbrough's 28 in the Championship.

• Birmingham City have lost 11 of their past 15 league games against Middlesbrough (W3 D1), losing each of the last six since a 2-0 win in October 2021.

• Middlesbrough have won their past four away league games against Birmingham, only having longer runs against Rotherham (six between 1956-1962) and Liverpool (five between 1957 and 1960).

• No Championship side has lost fewer home league games than Birmingham this season (one). Their 3-2 loss to Hull in October is their only defeat in their past 41 league games at St Andrew's (W29 D11).

• Middlesbrough have won five of their past eight away league games (L3), as many as they had in their previous 20 (D5 L10).

• Morgan Whittaker has been involved in more away goals than any other Middlesbrough player in the Championship this season (eight – four goals, four assists).

Image source, Shutterstock

Former Championship winger Jobi McAnuff believes Ipswich Town will win automatic promotion to the Premier League at the expense of Middlesbrough.

The Tractor Boys are six points behind second-placed Boro with two games in hand, while Millwall are four points back in third, having played the same number of matches as the top two.

Kim Hellberg's side have gone three games without a win, losing 3-1 to leaders Coventry before drawing at home to relegation-threatened Oxford and Leicester.

"I was really keen to see how they reacted to that [defeat by Coventry] because they were in such good form going into that game playing some brilliant football," McAnuff told the Football Daily 72+ EFL podcast.

"What you want to do after what was a disappointing result is get back on that winning run as quickly as you can, particularly with the situation and Ipswich lurking with a couple of games in hand."

McAnuff says Ipswich have resources that "other clubs do not have" with the ability to bring striker George Hirst off the bench and sign players such as Anis Mehmeti and Dan Neil in January.

"I just feel that over the course of the whole season, that will come to fruition for them," said McAnuff, who won the Championship with Reading in 2011-12.

"You talk about the manager [Kieran McKenna], so calm, he's someone who has been there, he's got promotion from the league.

"I think he is going to have a huge part to play and that then also radiates through the dressing room.

"For him and Ipswich Town, that is what is going to get them over the line. I believe they will be in the top two. I genuinely do believe that."

When asked who would drop out of the top two, McAnuff added: "I'm going to say Middlesbrough. As much as performances have been okay the last couple of games, I do think they have a little bit of an issue breaking down teams where they sit deep."

Middlesbrough captain Hayden Hackney says they need to be sharper and "almost force the ball in" to avoid dropping further points in their bid for automatic promotion.

Boro are without a win in their past three Championship games following the defeat at Coventry and back-to-back home draws against Oxford and Leicester, having won six on the bounce before this recent mini blip.

Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with the Foxes was the second time in four days Kim Hellberg's side have failed to beat a side in the relegation zone at the Riverside.

It means Boro now sit two points behind leaders Coventry, who visit Sheffield United on Wednesday, while third-placed Ipswich are six points behind but have two games in hand.

"That's the word, frustration," Hackney told BBC Radio Tees.

"Maybe [we need] something falling for us inside the box, getting that half a yard to finish. Maybe [opposition teams] are sitting off a little bit more, a little bit deeper in the low block.

"But I think it's just our sharpness and maybe what's fallen for us in the last couple of games where the run into the box would be found by the assist.

"I know it sounds easy but maybe that - and having shots and deflections maybe fall your way."

The 23-year-old midfielder does not think Middlesbrough are in a "sticky spot" and says it is "definitely not a lack of effort from the lads".

"They're all giving 100%," he added. "I think it's just touching up on those areas in the final third, which we will do. We'll look back at that and try and improve."